Last night, President Trump issued a memorandum directing the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security to ban transgender military personnel from serving. The decision to remove already serving transgender individuals from the military is left to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. The policy also restricts access to important medical treatment for transgender individuals currently in the armed forces.

“It is unconscionable for President Trump to further reinforce state sanctioned discrimination against the transgender community. Despite the historic and ongoing hatred and violence many transgender individuals face, they still love and cherish our freedom and our democracy enough to put their lives on the line for us,” said Vicki Shu, OCA National Vice President of Public Affairs.

“There are 1.4 million trans adults in the United States. Fifty-six percent of Asian American Pacific Islander trans individuals have attempted suicide largely due to the harassment and hate they face. For the President to completely take away their option to choose to protect their country only serves to dehumanize an already marginalized population. We remain committed to working with our partners to combat this and any other attacks on the LGBTQ community,” concluded Shu.

Earlier this month at the OCA National Convention, the OCA National Board passed a resolution further resolving to support the LGBTQ+ community.

OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national organization of community advocates dedicated to improving the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPIs).